Motherly
by UntouchedElegance
Summary: Collection of one-shots featuring some of the mothers of Olympus. Some will be sweet and some will be sad. But all of them include a mother's love.
1. Mother of War

**A/N: This is going to be a collection of one-shots of, you guessed it, mothers. As always, thanks for all the support thus far and I hope you enjoy!**

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Hera stared at her son as he tossed and turned, his face etched in pain. Golden ichor seeped from a deep wound in his side. The Queen of the Gods had always known Ares to be reckless, but charging into a Hydra's den proved to her just how far that recklessness will go. There was nothing she could do as she watched the servants of Mount Olympus do their best to tend to his wounds until Apollo could get there.

Her heart ached as a cloth with a healing solvent was applied to the open cut and Ares hissed and moaned in pain. He was the God of War, armies trembled before him. He took pleasure in the blood he spilled and the glory of battle, but first and foremost, he was Hera's son. For it was Hera that picked him up off the ground when he had fallen down the steps as a boy, Hera who tended to the small cut on his leg, she who kissed his tears away, gently humming to him to give him comfort. She had only wished there was some sort of comfort to give to her son now.

Ares let out another groan as pressure was applied to his gushing injury and Hera could take no more. She made to turn away to see where Apollo was but was stopped when she felt a hand in hers.

"Mother…," she heard her son whisper. She turned back and saw that he was looking at her with his sky-blue eyes that were identical to Zeus'. Her son, her sweet baby boy, he needed her after all. Wiping one of her eyes to rid it of a teardrop forming with her free hand, she used the other one to squeeze her son's. His hands were massive compared to hers, but she didn't care.

Right now, he wasn't the fearsome war god, he was her son. Although he seemed to be in a daze and would not recall it later when he was aware of his surroundings, she was still grateful to be there for him, as she always will.


	2. Mother of Spring

Demeter had not planned on becoming a mother. She had much to do and very little time to do so. It seemed that every village she encountered needed her help with their crops, and she felt that her work was never done.

While at her temple one morning, she was visited by Zeus. She did not want to see him, but with him being King of the Gods, it was very hard to deny him. So, she welcomed him into the temple. Her servants had brought out only the finest ambrosia, clearly only since it was Zeus who was visiting.

He had overstayed his welcome when it started to get dark out. Demeter had made up an excuse that she needed to speak to her nymphs who frolicking in the fields nearby. She just wanted to leave. He had done nothing but ask her nonsensical questions all day, pretending to be interested in what she did. She knew for a fact that he wasn't. She stood at the entranceway with him. Again, the nymphs, she must speak with them.

He reached out and cupped her face in his hands. She looked into his eyes. She could not tear herself away. Like the plants that she helped grow, she was rooted to the spot.

"Dear Demeter, let us go back in the temple," said Zeus. "The night is still young, just let me stay a while longer. That is, I command you to allow me to stay."

Demeter did nothing. She could do nothing. The next moment she saw blackness. When she came to, she was in her chambers, bare and sore. Very confused, she tried to remember what had happened but simply could not. She could put the pieces together, though. Zeus had defiled her, used her, robbed her of her virginity. She could feel nothing right now but rage. She had known that he tended to lay with mortals, but why her? Surely, her dear sister, Hera, would be furious to know what happened, most likely lead to be believe it was consensual by her husband. Who would believe her?

These thoughts turned her rage into sadness. Demeter put her head in her hands and sobbed. The plants and flowers around her temple wilted with her.

* * *

A few months after the incident, Demeter found that she was pregnant. It had been nagging her in the back of her head that it could happen, yet she still couldn't believe it. The nymphs were over the moon, though. They constantly asked her if she thought she was having a boy or a girl, how she was feeling, or if she thought of any names yet. No, no, and no were always the answers.

Demeter had wished that she could be as excited as they were, but she was frightened for both herself and her child. Zeus had found out about the pregnancy, and the harvest goddess did not know whether or not he had said anything about it to the other gods. She hoped he didn't, not yet at least. Eventually word would get out that the child had come from her and Zeus. But, until then, she wanted to live her peaceful life. Well, as peaceful as it could be when you were a very busy goddess who was pregnant.

As the months went by, it was harder and harder for Demeter to focus on her work. At times, she felt like she had to take a rest. When she did, she could feel the god or goddess in her belly moving around. She would place a hand on her stomach and softly hum a tune she had once heard Apollo play on his lyre. That seemed to do that trick, as the child would calm down after she was finished. It was times like these that Demeter felt close to her baby. She had come to look forward to meeting them and was determined to be a good mother.

A short time later, that time came. Demeter delivered her beautiful baby girl on a bright sunny day, one of the brightest she had ever seen. As her daughter was placed in her arms, Demeter immediately burst out crying. The bond between mother and daughter was solidified instantly. She was only alive for a few minutes and the little goddess already had tiny curls of auburn hair growing. Demeter smiled when she saw this, kissing the little curls. Her daughter gave a cry of protest, but Demeter just nuzzled her even more. She already held so much love for her.

"Lady Demeter," said one of the nymphs. "She is gorgeous. What will you name her?"

Demeter gazed upon her daughter, her sweet, innocent daughter. "Kore. Her name is Kore."

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Years went by and Kore grew each day. She was a very shy child, never really talking to anyone on the rare occasion that she and her mother went to Olympus. Everyone fawned over her and had accepted the fact that she was made from, what they believed, was a tryst Demeter had with Zeus. The crop goddess did not care about that, as long as she had her child. Kore had taking a liking to Artemis and Athena specifically, and Demeter hoped that Kore would remain a virgin goddess like they were. She considered that to be very admirable. Zeus had not accepted that she be called Kore, instead insisting that her name be Persephone. Now, everyone either called her Kore or Persephone. Demeter hated the name but could not go against Zeus.

The nymphs were tasked with watching Kore when Demeter could not. This was something they did not take likely, and they would continue to guard Kore for most of their lives. Demeter could remember that one day when she was helping the flowers in a meadow bloom, the nymphs came running to her with Kore who was crying. Demeter instantly panicked and frantically asked what had happened. The nymphs had said she tripped, and they could not console her, for she wanted Demeter.

Demeter took her Kore and held her close, spotting a cut on her leg that she kissed to try to soothe her. She hummed to her the lullaby that she had sung to her when she was pregnant. Kore was still able to be calmed in this way, cuddling close to her mother.

"There, there, my little water lily," Demeter said to Kore. "I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you. Now, would you like to help me with the flowers? You are getting very good at making them grow." This made the girl smile. Wiping away a stray tear, she nodded, and they both got to work.

* * *

Time was good to Kore. She ended up growing up to be a very beautiful goddess. When the sun shone on her waist length auburn hair, little traces of blonde could be seen, the rays making them appear golden, almost translucent, as it blew in the wind. Her eyes were a spring green. Demeter could see that her eyes were the one thing her daughter had inherited from her. Yes, Kore was a simply beautiful goddess, no one could deny that. Everything that she did held an air of grace. Even as Demeter had watched her look over a patch of Earth that had a hard time coming to bloom, she could see that there was something about Kore that drew someone towards her. The girl was also very kind to anyone she met, always willing to help to the best of her ability. She was simply darling. Demeter could not have asked for a more perfect child.

Kore's beauty presented a problem to Demeter. The girl was bound to attract the attention of unwanted suitors. Kore was pretty enough to have half the gods chasing after her. Demeter had never allowed her to go to Olympus by herself. In fact, the only male Kore saw regularly was Hermes and he was harmless. Demeter trusted only him. Athena and Artemis visited frequently and would keep her daughter company. Her hopes that Kore would become an eternal maiden herself grew each time they came. It was true that she sheltered the girl to no end. Could she be blamed? After what Zeus had done, Demeter trusted only a few individuals.

Her musings were interrupted by a whimsical sound on the wind. Kore was laughing. Demeter looked out of the window of their cottage and smiled. It had seemed that Hermes had come to deliver a message and ended up crashing in a river. Kore must have found this funny because she had no doubled over in laughter, the sound coming out as music to Demeter's ears.

She would protect her precious Kore. She would not lose her.

* * *

Demeter could remember the dreaded day that her nymphs came running to her frantically. She was gone. Kore was gone. There was not a trace of her on earth, her energy was undetectable. Demeter remembered the turmoil that came over her. Her beautiful daughter had disappeared. Where was she? Where was her Kore? She searched everywhere, leaving no stone unturned. Kore would not just run off. She must have been taken. She had to have been. All the vegetation started dying, there was a chill in the air for quite some time.

She had gone to Helios to ask if he had seen what happened, and she could not believe what he had said. Kidnapped. Her precious rose was kidnapped by Hades. There was no telling what unspeakable horrors her child was going through at the moment. Demeter's hand had clenched at her chest as she thought about her daughter and how she could not help her. Her baby was in the Underworld where it was dark and cold. What kind of a mother was she if she could not protect her child?

She had gone to Zeus, but he had said that there was nothing he could do. She started screaming right there in his court. If she had to suffer, then everyone else would suffer with her. Nothing would grow and the world would become cold, like she was, without her Kore.

How happy she was when her daughter was returned to her. She embraced her with all the love a mother could give, not wanting to ever let go of her again. She could see that Kore was happy to see her, too. All was well again. The crops could grow, and everyone would be happy as things would return to normal for the rest of eternity.

Or so she thought. It was brought up that Kore had eaten six seeds when she was with that monster. This meant for six months out of the year, she would be with her mother while the other six she would be forced to return to the Underworld. Of course, she had protested, but there was nothing anyone could do. The agreement was made. It was not Kore that she blamed, for Hades must have tricked her.

She found she was wrong about that too. She had found Kore crying one day. She must have been upset about the agreement as well. No doubt she was crying tears of sadness at having to be separated from her mother in six months' time.

"Come now, Kore. I am just as upset about it as you, but we can make the most of our time together." Demeter tried to soothe her daughter by running her hand through her hair. "I swear to you I will not rest until I find a way to get you out of this agreement."

Kore raised her head from her hands. "Oh, mother," she sobbed. "I'm sorry, mother. I miss him. I miss Hades." She looked into Demeter's eyes. "I love him, mother."

* * *

"Mother?" Demeter snapped out of her daydreams when she heard her daughter call her. She saw Kore, no, Persephone looking at her with a concerned look on her face.

"I am fine, dear. Just doing a bit of reminiscing is all," Demeter told her daughter. It had been years since the pomegranate agreement. They had fallen into a cycle of Persephone coming and going. Demeter never looked forward to her daughter leaving and had always thought back to the night with Zeus all the way up to this moment every time Persephone had to leave, which was almost time for her to do.

"I'm leaving soon, mother. Would you like to walk to the river together?" Persephone asked her mother, tilting her head. Demeter agreed and together they walked, arm in arm, mother and daughter, queen of the Underworld and queen of the crops, toward the river that ran as deep as their bond.


	3. Mother of Love

**A/N: Thanks for the support so far! I'm glad that I could portray Demeter as a loving mother and not a straight up villain. I can't say I did the same for the mother of this chapter but let me know what you think.**

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Aphrodite was in a sound sleep when her son came crashing into the room. Getting out of bed and rushing over to him, she noticed a few things. The first was that he was clutching his chest and the second was that he was crying. She bent down and cupped his face.

"Eros, my son," she soothed. "What has happened?"

At that point Eros sat up, his wings folding behind him. He looked into his mother's eyes and Aphrodite could see the emotion in them. Her son was hurting.

"Mother," he rasped. "Mother, I fell in love with Psyche. I know you told me to do your bidding for you, but I just couldn't. I whisked her away, letter her live in a temple that I would frequent. But she didn't see me, mother. I swear I did not allow her to look at me. She had no idea who I was. I trusted her and I thought she trusted me. But one night I woke up and found her standing over my bed with a knife and a lantern. She saw me. She saw me and she was going to kill me." His voice broke with the last sentence, the tears streaming down his perfect cheeks.

Aphrodite had listened to him without saying a word. He disobeyed her, but that was pushed far from her mind when she heard him say that a mortal was going to kill her son. A mortal. A mortal who was worshipped for her beauty instead of her. A mortal who would get what was coming to her.

Aphrodite wrapped her arms around her son. "I feel something, mother. My chest hurts, I think my heart is broken." Aphrodite was hurt by his words. Her son was supposed to help others with love, not be affected by it like this. "And I'm sorry, mother. I'm so, so sorry."

"My dear, dear, Eros," Aphrodite began. "I care not that you disobeyed me. I care that you were almost seriously hurt. I feel your pain, my son. The heartbreak you are feeling aches in my chest as well as yours. For my heart breaks for you." She brushed back a few of his curls and kissed his forehead. "Don't worry, mother will fix everything. I'll call one of my servants and have them escort you to a spare room."

Eros looked up at his mother, his eyes conveying desperation and sorrow. The servant came and he was on his way out but looked back before he did so. "Mother, what will you do?"

Aphrodite smiled gently. "Do not worry about it tonight, Eros. Please get your rest, your loving mother will take care of it." He did as she asked, dragging his feet as he went. When he was gone, Aphrodite kept her smile, but it was not gentle. The smile that adorned her face was now wicked and predatory. She walked out onto her balcony, her long night dress flowing in the wind. Her hands gripped the railing so tight that her knuckles turned white. Her hair was blowing everywhere, wild and messy. She let out a laugh and tilted her head back. That mortal was in for a real treat.

"Oh, yes. Mother will take care of everything."


	4. Mother of the Forge

**A/N: Hephaestus deserves some love too. Hope you enjoy! DjoDjoCute, Atamra, Aria, and MeAndMyReflection thank you so much for your kind reviews. I'm so glad to gave such talented people like my stories. **

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Hera realized that the relationship between her and Hephaestus started off very wrong. After all, tossing a baby off Mount Olympus was probably not the way to go about fixing imperfections. Her son was different. He did not possess the godly beauty that Ares and even Zeus possessed.

There had been much animosity between the two of them when he returned. He showed that he was exceptionally well at working the forge and Zeus, always finding a way to use someone to his advantage, had welcomed him back with welcome arms, even making him the foragemaster of Olympus. Hera was uneasy about it.

Truth be told, she had done a lot of thinking about him. It was not his fault that he was born with imperfections. In fact, it was she herself that should be ashamed. She had borne him into this world and made his existence a cruel one. Unappealing as he may be, he was still her son.

One day, she approached him as he was working. She found that he was incredibly talented. She spotted countless bows and arrows, swords, shields, and helms laying around his workstation. They seemed very sturdy and Hera was sure some of the other gods had commissioned him for them. She tried to get to know him. She wanted to know what he liked and disliked, his dreams, his worries. She wanted to know everything.

She did this often, visiting and talking. She found a golden chair waiting for her one day, no doubt made for her to sit in as a kind gesture on his part. In time, Hera found herself forming a close bond with her son, although he would only address her as queen and never as his mother. He really was not so bad.

There was one day that she would not forget. Her and Zeus had just finished having a very bad argument with Zeus that resulted in him storming out of the palace, literally, vanishing in a flash of lightning, no doubt going to visit a moral lover. Hera had gone to her garden to clear her mind. She heard someone approach and turned to find Hephaestus.

Hephaestus had hobbled over to her, a bag in his hand. He had heard the fight, as many had, and had come to give her something. He explained that he was going to give it to her at a banquet that was being held later in the week, but he figured now was a good time. He gave the sack to Hera who opened it, a smile on her features. Her smile disappeared and her jaw dropped when she saw the bag's contents.

Inside the bag was a crown. This crown had pure gold, diamonds and sapphires and rubies were encrusted in it. The center of it held a peacock feather, a symbol of her sacred animal. The crown was absolutely radiant. It sparkled and shine when the sun hit it. Hera was so touched that a tear escaped her. A hand reached out and finger brushed it away. She looked up into the eyes of her son.

"Do you like it, mother?" he asked.

Hera let out a sob at hearing him acknowledge her as his mother and threw her arms around him. He was her son, and she would spend the rest of her existence making sure he knew that. Never again would he be abandoned. Her son, her beautiful child was there in her arms. Nothing will ever change that.


	5. Mother of Olympus

It didn't have to be this way. Rhea refused to believe that this was the way that things had to be. Her children, her beautiful children, were gone. Swallowed. Cronos was paranoid. How could he do that to the lives they created? She knew it was all over a prophecy. It drove him mad, but she never imagined he would swallow their children, trapping them in darkness.

They should be happy. The six of them should have been happy. She often dreamed of the way life could have been. The way it _should _have been.

In her dreams she was in a valley. This valley was full of beautiful things, but perhaps the most beautiful thing in this valley was the image of her family. She saw her husband. He really was quite handsome. His hair was black as coal, eyes like ice. She fell in love with those eyes and was still in love with them even now as she slept beside him in their chambers with the knowledge that their children were trapped, helpless, left in the dark.

Oh, her children. They were here too. Five little bodies were running towards her. The first to come in to view was a little boy. He looked like the exact copy of Cronos, his blue eyes lighting up in happiness as he ran with his arms outstretched towards his mother. She caught him in her arms, scooping him up and holding him in the air as he made sounds of delight. She knew in her heart that this had to be Hades.

Next there came a little girl. Her hair was a burning flame of red, like Rhea's own. Her curls bounced as she also came to hug her mother. Rhea lifted both of them now, resting one on each hip. Looking into her daughter's eyes, she could see golden eyes staring back at her. Rhea had looked into each of her children's eyes before they were taken from her. This little goddess was without doubt Hestia.

She felt something run into her legs and looked down to find a little blonde boy who was looking up to her with eyes a deep a blue as the Grecian sea. There was a little pout on his face as he realized her arms were full with his brother and sister. She put them down so they could stand beside her and knelt down to her younger son's level. She ruffled his hair, turning his pout into a smirk. He too embraced his mother. Rhea held him and rubbed his back. This was Poseidon, her other little boy.

There was a little yelp that caught Rhea's attention. Another daughter had come to greet her but seemed to have fallen. It only took Rhea five steps to reach her, picking the little one up to brush off her dress. This child had eyes that were a dark green like the grass under their feet, her hair a beautiful brown that seemed to shine in the sun. She was very shy and seemed to be fiddling with something in her hands. Rhea gave her daughter a smile that she had hoped was full of trust. She knew it worked because the little one in her arms showed her what she had been hiding. A flower. Rhea kissed her child on her head. This was Demeter.

She felt a tug on her gown and came face to face with another beautiful little face. She found her breath catch as she realized she shared the same light green eyes as her daughter. The child's blonde hair blew in the wind as she looked up at her mother expectedly. Rhea cupped the little girl's face and gave her a tender smile that she returned. This was her youngest, Hera.

The other three children that had stood behind her now stood close to her. All five sets of eyes were looking up at her with awestruck wonder. She felt arms snake around her and a chin rest on her shoulder. Cronos smiled as he kissed her cheek, staring at their children with nothing but love and admiration. Suddenly, their children embraced them. They were strong little gods and goddesses, almost knocking her over with the force of their hug. She saw Cronos pick up Hades and Poseidon, holding them close. Then the girls wanted his attention and soon they were all piling on their father.

Rhea heard their laughter and almost cried. This was just not fair. There were her children playing in the grass with her husband, smiling and enjoying themselves. They saw no darkness. They saw the light created by the sun and the beautiful flowers and…

…and this wasn't real. It was just a dream that allowed her to escape from reality. No matter how much she wanted it to be real it just wasn't. It left an ache in her chest when she thought about it. She looked at her children one more time before she was awoken by Cronos who gently shook her. She did not want to wake up and face him, so she pretended that she was still asleep. Cronos kissed her bare shoulder and got out of bed to get dressed.

Rhea placed a hand on her stomach. This one would live. She would make sure of it.


End file.
